Anger Management

I've always found myself freaking out about mixing the Play-Doh colors. Tonight, I got a revelation while we were playing with our Play-Doh. Why does it matter if Halle mixes the colors? As you can see she mixed the colors and it made a beautiful Tye-Dye!! :)

Don't sweat the small stuff right?

When it comes to parenting I will never tell you that I've got it all figured out. Having a 2 year old home ALL day...especially with all of these snow days... can be very wearing on a person. Hats off to all you stay-at-home moms. I have found myself getting angry at Halle for smooshing cupcake all over the table and slinging lettuce and cheese all over the clean kitchen floor. I get aggravated at the messes she makes with all of her toys. She just doesn't understand that we should put one toy away before we get out another. DUH!! That's when I have to slap myself and realize we are talking about a TWO year old. Two year olds are supposed to make messes!

I have to constantly remind myself that it's all about the way I react...and to react in a way that is appropriate for her age!!

Halle has a MAJOR attitude...quite possibly borderline bratty at times...she has to get her way...and when she wants something, she wants it NOW! I guess she gets that part honestly. From what I hear I was a pretty demanding child. Today she wanted to watch a TV show on my phone. I was trying to pack in wood from the garage to keep the fire going and I told her to wait just a minute until I was done. She started in with the attitude. I immediately stopped what I was doing and said, with my finger pointed, "You listen to me right now....blah, blah, blah..." Her eyes got very big and she stopped. I finished by saying, "Do you understand me?" As if I were talking to my 2nd Graders. She walked into the other room and a few seconds later she said, "Mom, I am really sorry." It melted my heart a little. AND it worked! I got through to her this time!!

I find myself sometimes having to take a deep breathe and even walking out of the room at times. I have to constantly remind myself that I am raising a 2 year old...and to treasure the times of smooshing cupcakes. I have to remind myself to treasure the hundreds of times I hear, "Mom, will you play with me?" or "I want to hold you!" There is nothing in my house that needs to be done bad enough to neglect these precious moments.

Disobedient

It's been way too long since my last post. It has been a crazy few months!!



Today was my first day back to school in two weeks. It was sad to see Christmas break come to an end but at the same time I was very excited to get back into the routine of things. It almost felt like the first day of school all over again. I moved classrooms over Christmas break. It was a stressful couple of days but everything came together and was ready on time! All of the kids were so excited about the new room, bathrooms and gym. I think everyone was pretty excited about it all!!



We only work two days this week so there is really no use in trying to start anything new. So, while writing lesson plans this week I decided to review a skill we had previously talked about...Prefixes. I know...boring, boring. BORING!! But, as I was teaching the prefixes Dis- and Un- a word popped up on the board and it really stuck with me all day.



The word was DISOBEY. To disobey means FAILURE to obey. I deal with disobedience every single day...with my students, with Halle and even myself. Being disobedient brings nothing but FAILURE!



Today I asked my class to walk in a straight line. (Keep in mind this is Elementary students) Our new hallway has a gray line so the kids can walk on it and keep orderly. Almost immediately I had a couple of students who jumped off the line...just to be funny...I'm sure of it. But, it was being DISOBEDIENT nonetheless.



Halle chooses to be disobedient daily. I'm sure it is part of being 2. But, when I tell her not to do something she likes to see what kind of reaction she can get out of me (good or bad) so she does it anyway. DISOBEDIENT



ME: I have to say that I am working very hard on being obedient. Mostly to my heavenly father because that is really the one person I have to answer to. I don't want to disappoint God. I know in 2010 I brought Him lots of disappointment. I chose to do things MY way many times instead of just listening to Him.



A few weeks ago Jake and I made a very difficult decision to leave the church we called "home" for as long as we both could remember. The church he youth pastored for 5 years. The church that we both grew up in as kids. I know you are probably wondering, "Why?" My only answer is OBEDIENCE. We both felt God was pulling us in a different direction. We don't really know why yet but we are certain that we are walking in God's will for our christian walk. I know there is a reason we are where we are now. There is a ministry we will both be able to be used in. I am certain that we are needed somewhere. It is just a matter of waiting now. I'm thinking the word next should be PATIENCE!! :)



We will continue to wait on Him!!